Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the previous week.
Here are this week’s stories – the word of the week is competitions.
Mon, 18 Mar
- First-ever Café World Summit takes place in Costa Rica. The event includes over 1,000 coffee professionals from over 30 countries, with the main objective to promote knowledge exchange, drive innovation, and to encourage the adoption of sustainable practices in the coffee industry. The summit is also hosting the 2024 Costa Rican Brewers Cup Championship.
- The Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA) welcomes four new board members. Barbara Fiorito, Jeremy Gottschalk, Blanca Castro, and Cate Batson Baril will each bring their unique expertise to advance sustainability in agriculture and food systems, including the coffee sector.
- Luckin Coffee inaugurates its first green coffee processing plant. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the facility boasts an annual processing capacity of 5,000 tonnes and uses sustainable practices to minimise its environmental impact.
- SCA releases new Equitable Value Distribution Survey Findingsreport. Launched in April 2023, the survey evaluates value creation and distribution across the coffee supply chain – aiming for more equitable outcomes. Preliminary findings indicate that the majority of respondents believe that value should be distributed differently than it currently is.
- US Coffee Championships announces 2024 winners. Frank La is the 2024 US Barista Champion, Weihong Zhang placed first at the US Brewers Cup, and Mehmet Sogan is the 2024 US Cup Tasters Champion. All three will go on to represent the US at their respective world finals.
- Gerra Harrigan appointed as JNP Coffee’s new green coffee sales strategist. Harrigan brings her extensive experience from Mighty Peace and Interamerican Coffee to the Burundi coffee exporter. She previously held roles at New Harvest Coffee Roasters.
Tue, 19 Mar
- Starbucks introduces new global leadership to “reinvent” the company. Starbucks will implement leadership changes from 1 April 2024 to establish a geographic leadership structure to accelerate “company reinvention and elevate the brand”.
- BLK & Bold founders launch non-profit to expand youth impact. The Des Moines-based coffee company launched BLK & Bold Foundation to support underserved youth, continuing its commitment to donate 5% of its profits to charitable causes.
- Nespresso UK to open on-the-go concept bar in London. The company is opening its first Nespresso Bar in the UK, targeting London’s busy coffee market. The store, which opened near Liverpool Street train station on 21 March 2024, will offer lattes priced at £4.15 ($5.29).
- Ghost Town Oats and Brewpoint Coffee to host Elevating Dreams, Erasing Divides: A Coffee & Innovation Pitch Competition. Coffee entrepreneurs are invited to pitch their ideas at the event, which will take place on 12 April at the 2024 Specialty Coffee Expo in Chicago.
- Matcha Latte Art Battle to debut at 2024 Amsterdam Coffee Festival. The European Speciality Tea Association will host the first-ever Matcha Latte Art Battle at the annual festival, taking place from 4 to 6 April 2024. Sixteen competitors will showcase their latte art and matcha whisking skills, judged on taste and presentation.
- Sproud announced as the plant-based sponsor for London Coffee Festival’s Latte Art Live. The Swedish plant milk company will sponsor the competition – taking place from 11 to 14 April 2024 at the Truman Brewery.
- Franke Coffee Systems announces World Latte Art Champion Liang Fan as China brand ambassador. The collaboration aims to merge Fan’s expertise with Franke’s fully automatic machine innovation to offer solutions to Chinese customers and consumers.
Wed, 20 Mar
- ofi secures US $500 million financing with Italian Export Credit Agency for coffee supply chain. The programme aims to support Italy’s roasted coffee market by importing quality green coffee and creating new export opportunities.
- Certification add-on 4C earns top recognition in SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment 3.0. The certification body has reached FSA Gold and Silver Level Equivalence, reflecting its dedication to supporting sustainable agriculture.
- Multiple Latte Art Champion Daniel Gerlach becomes new brand ambassador for WMF Professional Coffee Machines. Gerlach has won several German Latte Art Championships, and is the official brand ambassador for the WMF espresso Next semi-automatic portafilter machines. At Internorga 2024, he showcased his skills in the brand’s “Coffee culture’s new choreography, perfect repeatability turned into art” campaign.
- NicaVio launches first-ever Golden Attribute competition. The competition was held in partnership with Nicaraguan coffee exporter Sajonia Estate Coffee. Departing from traditional grading and quality assessment practices, the method used at the competition assesses coffees based on ten distinct attributes. The winning coffees will be showcased at NicaVio’s booth at the 2024 Specialty Coffee Expo in Chicago.
- ApexBrasil, BSCA, and IWCA sign memorandum to boost women’s share in global coffee market. With support from the IWCA, ApexBrasil and the BSCA will establish actionable strategies to promote coffee grown by female producers. This initiative is part of ApexBrasil’s Women and International Business Programme, which was created in June 2023, to support female entrepreneurship in the Brazilian coffee sector.
Thu, 21 Mar
- UK Barista Championship finals take place in London. The competitions are taking place at the Tate Modern on 22 & 23 March 2024 – with competitors using the Cimbali Group M200 GT1 espresso machine. The winner will go on to represent the UK at the World Barista Championship in Busan, South Korea in May 2024.
- Brazil expected to report third annual increase in coffee production this year. This is a rare occurrence in the country’s 144-year history of coffee production. The trend is expected to continue into 2025, driven by increased robusta production and post-frost farming techniques.
- Robusta prices near US $4 mark in Vietnam while global arabica stocks reach eight-month high. The main contract for May robusta delivery fell by 1.2% to US $3,315/tonne as supply shortages continue in Vietnam. May arabica delivery contracts closed at US 182.40 cents/lb as a result of improved harvest outlooks in Brazil and a rebound in the stock market’s inventories.
- Convenience chain 7-Eleven launches first flavoured cold brew line. The company’s new coffee line-up features flavoured cold brews and lattes, including Mocha, French Vanilla, and Caramel Cream Cold Brew Lattes, as well as Salted Caramel, Pecan Pie, and Macadamia Nut Lattes.
- The 2024 World AeroPress Championship to take place in Lisbon, Portugal in September. Following the successful new competition format held in Melbourne in December 2023, this year’s event will host two separate championships: the AeroPress Invitational and the renowned World Final.
Fri, 22 Mar
- Carbonic macerated lot receives highest bid at 2024 Indonesia Cup of Excellence auction. The 91.41-point coffee from Ijen Lestari farm – which included USDA 762 and Kartika varieties – was purchased for $45.50/lb by Taiwan’s Orsir International and Savaya Coffeem from Tucson, Arizona, US. In total, the auction brought in US $193,840.18.
- HOTELEX Shanghai 2024 to take place from 27 to 30 March. The event is set to feature over 3,000 exhibitors, more than ten summits, and numerous international competitions – including the 2024 Chinese Barista, Latte Art, Brewers Cup, Coffee Roasting, and Cup Tasters Championships. In addition, Hotelex Shanghai will also host a dedicated Coffee and Food Festival featuring more than 120 retail coffee brands and a coffee bazaar.
- Dutch Bros announces secondary public offering of class A shares. The offering comprises 8 million shares at US $34 each, and is expected to close around 26 March 2024.
- Territorio Café to host 2024 Panamanian Brewers Cup and Barista Championships on 25 & 26 March. Taking place at Sisu Coffee Studio and Cabrera Coffee Brew House, the winners of the two competitions will go on to represent Panama at their respective World Coffee Championships.
- The 2024 International Café and Beverage Show to host ICBS Coffee Conference. In partnership with Barista Guild Asia, the ICBS Coffee Conference will feature several speakers and panellists, including 2019 Malaysian Barista Champion Aaron Phua. The event will take place from 23 to 25 May in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and will also feature the 2024 Malaysian Coffee Championships.
Here are a few coffee news stories from previous weeks that you might find interesting. Take a look:
- Sat, 16 Mar– Coffee Association of Canada selects Grounds for Health as its Charity of the Year. Grounds for Health partners with the specialty coffee industry to prevent cervical cancer in Latin America and Africa by providing essential healthcare services and support to women and their families.
- Sun, 17 Mar – Laughing Man launches national franchise programme. New York’s Laughing Man Coffee & Tea Co. – founded by Australian actor Hugh Jackman – plans to support potential franchisees open and operate new locations.
Photo credits: @shanegallagher_, @mavickmedia
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The post Coffee News Recap, 22 Mar: US Coffee Championships announces 2024 winners, this year’s WAC to take place in Lisbon & other stories appeared first on Perfect Daily Grind.
